The Legislature has four weeks to finish its work before its July 10 ending.

Wochit

Major bills are on the move in the Oregon Legislature this coming week.

The largest single part of the state budget, the $8.2 billion school funding bill, moves from the Senate for a first reading in the House on Monday — although Democrats say they hope to add up to $300 million to the pot by the end of the session.

Oregon Capitol in June from the south side.

Oregon Capitol in June from the south side.

Diane Dietz, Statesman Journal

House Speaker Tina Kotek said she's not sure there are enough Democratic votes now to pass the measure without first increasing the budget.

"I’m still fighting to pass a compromise on business tax reform and cost containment that allows us to invest more in our schools this session,” she said.

Sen. Mark Hass, D-Beaverton, said this is finally the week for public hearings on a proposed gross receipts tax on business. Hass and Kotek are pushing a plan to delay the start of the tax for a year but bump up the existing corporate income tax, in the meantime, to help cover a $1.4 billion budget shortfall for 2017-2019.

With four weeks left in the session, lawmakers are warning constituents to hold on to their hats.

"Everything is moving into deal-making mode," veteran Sen. Michael Dembrow, D-Portland, said in his constituent newsletter. "Committees are closing down, but temperatures are rising. As the old saying goes, 'If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the in the final month before sine die.'"

Sine die is the Latin word for adjourning without immediate plans to return.

Watch for these in the coming week:

Kohana Jade Clem, the 9-year-old daughter of Rep. Brian Clem, D-Salem, is on the verge of a smashing legislative victory.

The younger Clem and her Girl Scout Troop 10037 lobbied her dad — and the Oregon House and Senate — for House Bill 2732, which would remove civil and criminal penalties for breaking into a hot car to save a child or an animal.

The rules are simple the younger Clem said in March testimony before the House Judiciary Committee:

See if the owner of the car is close by

If they are not, check to see if the doors are unlocked

If it is not unlocked, first call police to make sure you have permission to break open a window

Only break one window

Then stay until help arrives

That’s pretty much how the final bill turned out, except for the rescuer can break a window before calling police in an emergency.

The House gave the bill a unanimous yes on May 4. The Senate gave an amended bill a unanimous vote (except for one absence) on June 7.

The bill comes back to the House floor for reconsideration at an 11 a.m. Monday session.

Lawmakers are attempting to clamp down on administrative costs at Oregon's seven public universities. House Bill 3288 would require each university to justify increases in administrative spending — including those caused by legislative mandates — to the state Higher Education Coordinating Commission every other year. The first report would be due Jan. 1, 2019. The bill comes in the wake of a double-digit tuition increase at the University of Oregon for the coming school year.

The Senate passed the bill with amendments on June 7. The bill is up for reconsideration in the House at the 11 a.m. session on Monday.

Oregon lawmakers are ensuring their own house is in order since they passed the Oregon Equal Pay Act of 2017 in May.

The Joint Committee on Legislative Audits on Tuesday plans to delve into equal pay among the 40,000 state workers.

A 2015-16 study by Portland State University found that female state workers are making 88.8 cents on the dollar compared with their male counterparts.

The study was limited, however, by the human resources computer system that doesn’t include records of education, experience, special skills, certifications and licenses, state HR Chief Madilyn Zike told the committee at an earlier meeting.

The state worker pay equity gap compares favorably with the wage gap in Oregon’s overall private and public workforce, according to statistics produced by consultant ECONorthwest.

The new pay equity law — from House Bill 2005 — stiffens penalties for employers who discriminate by paying unequal rates based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, marital status, veteran status, disability or age. Employers can be liable for punitive or compensatory damages (including back pay) if they’re found in violation and cannot show they’ve been making progress in closing the wage gap.

Pay equity in the state workforce is on the agenda at 1 p.m. Tuesday in H-170.

“Tackling the Opioid Crisis: Understanding the Key Issues and Strategies” is the topic Thursday in the Senate Health Care Committee.

Oregon has the ignominious distinction of being a top state for the non-medical use of prescription opioids. Overdose deaths in Oregon have tripled since 2000. The current rate is three opioid deaths per week, according to the Oregon Health Authority.

Rep. Mitch Greenlick, D-Portland, will discuss the inner workings of state government as part of the Oregon State Capitol Foundation Speaker Series.

Greenlick’s book, “Capitol Letters: An Inside View of the Legislative Process,” is a compilation of personal accounts of his experiences at the Capitol, written in a way that will make sense to those who are not everyday participants in the legislative process.